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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wonderful book, unputdownable.
Four Dead Queens wasn't at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be typical high fantasy, but it's really a mystery with fantasy and science fiction elements.
I was stuck in an emergency room for hours on a Saturday night. On my way out the door, I grabbed Four Dark Queens so I'd have something to read, and by the time, I went home later that night, I had torn through 250 pages and didn't want to put it down. It was the perfect book to distract me from my not so pleasant surroundings.
Keralie is a teen master thief who works for a criminal mastermind named Mackiel. They live in a country called Quadara, which has an unusual system of government. The country has four quadrants, each with its own queen. The four queens live together in a palace at the center of the country, and they represent their quadrant's interests while never actually visiting their quadrant. On Mackiel's orders, Keralie steals a set of comm chips from a messenger. Things don't go exactly as planned, and Keralie and the messenger, Varin, are caught up in a conspiracy plot that leads to the murders of the four queens.
Keralie and Varin form an uneasy partnership. Varin is from Eonia, the technologically advanced quadrant. Eonia uses genetic modifications to enhance their citizens and has other forms of technology, like the comm chips that Keralie steals. The Eonians are very repressed and unemotional, so Varin doesn't work so well with hot-headed Keralie. Their evolving relationship as they try to solve the mystery of the queens' deaths is really fun.
The mystery was very twisty and unexpected. We get chapters from the point of view of each of the queens, so we see a bit of their lives and what's going on right before the murders. Each queen has a secret, and it's not clear whether their secrets may have something to do with the murders. There are so many twists and turns in this book, and the resolution of the mystery was totally unexpected and very well done. Also, it's a stand-alone book, so you don't have to commit to multiple books, which is a nice change from most other young adult fantasy books.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Amazon Vine.
I was stuck in an emergency room for hours on a Saturday night. On my way out the door, I grabbed Four Dark Queens so I'd have something to read, and by the time, I went home later that night, I had torn through 250 pages and didn't want to put it down. It was the perfect book to distract me from my not so pleasant surroundings.
Keralie is a teen master thief who works for a criminal mastermind named Mackiel. They live in a country called Quadara, which has an unusual system of government. The country has four quadrants, each with its own queen. The four queens live together in a palace at the center of the country, and they represent their quadrant's interests while never actually visiting their quadrant. On Mackiel's orders, Keralie steals a set of comm chips from a messenger. Things don't go exactly as planned, and Keralie and the messenger, Varin, are caught up in a conspiracy plot that leads to the murders of the four queens.
Keralie and Varin form an uneasy partnership. Varin is from Eonia, the technologically advanced quadrant. Eonia uses genetic modifications to enhance their citizens and has other forms of technology, like the comm chips that Keralie steals. The Eonians are very repressed and unemotional, so Varin doesn't work so well with hot-headed Keralie. Their evolving relationship as they try to solve the mystery of the queens' deaths is really fun.
The mystery was very twisty and unexpected. We get chapters from the point of view of each of the queens, so we see a bit of their lives and what's going on right before the murders. Each queen has a secret, and it's not clear whether their secrets may have something to do with the murders. There are so many twists and turns in this book, and the resolution of the mystery was totally unexpected and very well done. Also, it's a stand-alone book, so you don't have to commit to multiple books, which is a nice change from most other young adult fantasy books.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Amazon Vine.
When I was part way through this book, I was thinking it would only get 3 stars, but then it got more interesting, and more suspenseful, and the build up of the story was good. The only thing was, I felt like the end was rushed, and could have had more detail.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Listened to the audiobook.
Overall, the world building for the book was pretty intricate and I wish we had focused more in the Queens, their backgrounds, and their quadrants. Like, what lead to each quadrant developing the social manners they do? Easily my favorite pairing was Iris and Cora, as I love me a good forbidden romance and I was sad to see we could only hear about it in passing.
The relationship between Kera and Varyn was pretty predictable but also unbelievable because I didn't see the chemistry or love. Romance between Stessa and Lyca was really par and quite toxic but painted as beautiful which was kind of wack.
I thought Keral was going to be the lost child of Marguerite, so that twist with Arabella was pretty good, but I wish we were shown Arabella's motivation rather than told--like if we were reading all THREE stories in tandem, with Arabella's being about her meeting a man who manipulated her into killing the Queens. Also not a fan of the fact that Mackiel just simply told her exactly what happened, very cliche bad guy move. And then when she went to the inspector and gave him memories that weren't Mackiel's confession...
So, overall 3/5, an interesting read, but nothing too special.
Overall, the world building for the book was pretty intricate and I wish we had focused more in the Queens, their backgrounds, and their quadrants. Like, what lead to each quadrant developing the social manners they do? Easily my favorite pairing was Iris and Cora, as I love me a good forbidden romance and I was sad to see we could only hear about it in passing.
The relationship between Kera and Varyn was pretty predictable but also unbelievable because I didn't see the chemistry or love. Romance between Stessa and Lyca was really par and quite toxic but painted as beautiful which was kind of wack.
I thought Keral was going to be the lost child of Marguerite, so that twist with Arabella was pretty good, but I wish we were shown Arabella's motivation rather than told--like if we were reading all THREE stories in tandem, with Arabella's being about her meeting a man who manipulated her into killing the Queens. Also not a fan of the fact that Mackiel just simply told her exactly what happened, very cliche bad guy move. And then when she went to the inspector and gave him memories that weren't Mackiel's confession...
So, overall 3/5, an interesting read, but nothing too special.
Four Dead Queens had a very interesting plot and a lot of potential, but there were certain bits that stopped me from enjoying it to the fullest.
But first, in this book's defense, I don't think it necessarily falls into the 'Bury Your Gays' trope. I think the trope has more to do with using a queer character's death for shock value, to benefit the development of other (straight) characters, or because the creator wanted the diversity points but didn't want to validate a gay relationship any longer than they had to. That's not what happened here.
The characters died because they had power somebody else wanted, that's it. And straight people also die in the same way. We know it from the start.
I want queer characters who feel real and fleshed-out, who are more than just immortal, untouchable tokens placed there for the sake of queer representation. I want them to be just as good and real as straight characters. Unfortunately that means that, like me and every other real life LGBT+ person, they can and will die. As long as their deaths aren't for the reasons mentioned earlier, I don't see why that should be demonized.
That aside, here are the main issues I had:
1. I didn't like the main character.
Keralie tries too hard to be a cool badass chick and she was super annoying. She clearly wants people to pity her for her mistakes and whines about how unredeemable she is.
"“I’m sorry I’m such a horrid person,” I said with a half smile."
If somebody apologizes to you like this, run! This is not an apology. It's a manipulation tactic used to get you to tell them it's okay, they're forgiven, and that they're not a horrid person. (They are.)
2. Convenience.
The way the story wraps up at the end is just.... unrealistic. The massive confrontation in front of everybody feels too cheesy.
This is a world where anybody can record their memories and show others. I get that he had to have an evil monologue because he's EVIL, but come on!
3. Eugenics.
One of the quadrants tests people for diseases and kills them before it "burdens" the quadrant. Kera points out how messed up that is and it's "resolved" at the end.. but the resolution isn't much better. Instead of getting killed, people with genetic disorders will be fixed. Nobody saw how this could be an issue? Not the author, publisher, editor, beta-readers— nobody?
--
I did enjoy the romance between the two mains and thought the plot twist (the murderer) was interesting. I didn't see it coming at all, although it was a tad deus ex machina-ish so I couldn't.
Despite the issues, I found it easy to read and I still enjoyed the story. 3 stars :-)
But first, in this book's defense, I don't think it necessarily falls into the 'Bury Your Gays' trope. I think the trope has more to do with using a queer character's death for shock value, to benefit the development of other (straight) characters, or because the creator wanted the diversity points but didn't want to validate a gay relationship any longer than they had to. That's not what happened here.
The characters died because they had power somebody else wanted, that's it. And straight people
Spoiler
(or.. a single (presumably) straight person)I want queer characters who feel real and fleshed-out, who are more than just immortal, untouchable tokens placed there for the sake of queer representation. I want them to be just as good and real as straight characters. Unfortunately that means that, like me and every other real life LGBT+ person, they can and will die. As long as their deaths aren't for the reasons mentioned earlier, I don't see why that should be demonized.
That aside, here are the main issues I had:
1. I didn't like the main character.
Keralie tries too hard to be a cool badass chick and she was super annoying. She clearly wants people to pity her for her mistakes and whines about how unredeemable she is.
"“I’m sorry I’m such a horrid person,” I said with a half smile."
If somebody apologizes to you like this, run! This is not an apology. It's a manipulation tactic used to get you to tell them it's okay, they're forgiven, and that they're not a horrid person. (They are.)
2. Convenience.
The way the story wraps up at the end is just.... unrealistic. The massive confrontation in front of everybody feels too cheesy.
This is a world where anybody can record their memories and show others.
Spoiler
Are we supposed to believe the evil mastermind behind the entire thing would spill the details of the assassination to the person he's framing?3. Eugenics.
One of the quadrants tests people for diseases and kills them before it "burdens" the quadrant. Kera points out how messed up that is and it's "resolved" at the end.. but the resolution isn't much better. Instead of getting killed, people with genetic disorders will be fixed. Nobody saw how this could be an issue? Not the author, publisher, editor, beta-readers— nobody?
--
I did enjoy the romance between the two mains and thought the plot twist (the murderer) was interesting. I didn't see it coming at all, although it was a tad deus ex machina-ish so I couldn't.
Despite the issues, I found it easy to read and I still enjoyed the story. 3 stars :-)
4.5 stars
"Sometimes failure is a beginning of success."
Serba salah rasanya kalau baca buku yang hanya satu seri. Ketika bukunya ternyata bagus, rasanya ceritanya terlalu singkat dan malah mengharapkan buku lanjutannya. Tapi giliran bukunya beneran berseri dan pake clifhanger di akhir tiap buku, rasanya justru kesel sendiri karena penasaran dan harus nunggu buku berikutnya. Pembaca yang banyak maunya. :P
Sama seperti buku Four Dead Queens, sebuah buku debut dari Astrid Scholte ini. Hanya satu buku saja. Jadi terasa singkat karena ceritanya yang seru.
Buku ini berisi sebuah cerita dengan genre-genre favoritku. Fantasy iya, science fiction iya, mystery iya, romance pun iya. Ceritanya yang a bit unusual mungkin justru tidak terlalu menarik bagi banyak orang, terbukti dari ratingnya yang hanya 3.7. Tapi aku pribadi sih ngga nyesel membaca buku ini. Buku ini berhasil membuat aku bertanya-tanya sampai akhir. Ceritanya pun fast paced. Plot twistnya yang mendadak dan ngga disangka-sangka membuat tebakan (dan asumsi) yang aku buat di awal buku meleset semua. Tapi aku puas dengan endingnya. It is one of a good stand-alone book. You should give it a try. :)
"Sometimes failure is a beginning of success."
Serba salah rasanya kalau baca buku yang hanya satu seri. Ketika bukunya ternyata bagus, rasanya ceritanya terlalu singkat dan malah mengharapkan buku lanjutannya. Tapi giliran bukunya beneran berseri dan pake clifhanger di akhir tiap buku, rasanya justru kesel sendiri karena penasaran dan harus nunggu buku berikutnya. Pembaca yang banyak maunya. :P
Sama seperti buku Four Dead Queens, sebuah buku debut dari Astrid Scholte ini. Hanya satu buku saja. Jadi terasa singkat karena ceritanya yang seru.
Buku ini berisi sebuah cerita dengan genre-genre favoritku. Fantasy iya, science fiction iya, mystery iya, romance pun iya. Ceritanya yang a bit unusual mungkin justru tidak terlalu menarik bagi banyak orang, terbukti dari ratingnya yang hanya 3.7. Tapi aku pribadi sih ngga nyesel membaca buku ini. Buku ini berhasil membuat aku bertanya-tanya sampai akhir. Ceritanya pun fast paced. Plot twistnya yang mendadak dan ngga disangka-sangka membuat tebakan (dan asumsi) yang aku buat di awal buku meleset semua. Tapi aku puas dengan endingnya. It is one of a good stand-alone book. You should give it a try. :)
Keralie is a thief - and a good one. When Varin, a victim of her skill, comes to retrieve the comm case she stole, she is forced to ingest the memory chips it held. What she witnesses terrifies her: the assassination of Quadara's four queens. When she and Varin try to report what she's seen, they find that nothing is as it seems - and everyone is full of secrets.
I think that the plot of this book was good overall. There were a number of interesting twists in the story line though I think it got a bit too involved in a few parts. Unfortunately, I just never cared about any of the characters enough to be invested in them. There was some character growth but it felt a bit forced. In general, I think there are other books I'd recommend first.
I think that the plot of this book was good overall. There were a number of interesting twists in the story line though I think it got a bit too involved in a few parts. Unfortunately, I just never cared about any of the characters enough to be invested in them. There was some character growth but it felt a bit forced. In general, I think there are other books I'd recommend first.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced